Les Miserables Goes to High School: Senior Year
by Wicked Eponine 2010
Summary: Eponine and her friends face their last year of high school together, meeting new friends and staying together thru thick and thin. please read and review.
1. Meeting Liz

Chapter 1: The Introduction

Eighteen-year-old Eponine Thenardier walked down the long hallway of East Lansing High School towards her French 1 class with Mademoiselle Le Chance in the language wing. Eponine smiled at the teacher as she walked in.

"Bonjour, you must be Eponine Thenardier. Please have a seat anywhere," Eponine slid into a seat in the front row and turned to the girl sitting on her left and said,

"My name's Eponine, what's yours?"

"Elizabeth, but everyone calls me Liz," said the girl.

"Do you want to get together after school today to do homework?" asked Eponine. Liz shook her head and said,

"I can't. I'm babysitting and then I'm going to the movies with my family. I'm really sorry, Eponine." Class started and Liz and Eponine became inseparable. They had two other classes together and the same lunch.

It was after school and Eponine was walking towards the inn her parents owned when she heard somebody call her name. Eponine turned around to see her friend, Marius and his friends come running towards her.

"Hey Eponine," said Marius after he had caught his breath.

"Hey Marius," said Eponine.

"Where are you going?" asked Joly.

"Home," said Eponine.

"Oh. Are you trying out for the fall play?" asked Enjolras.

"No. I'm not into acting really," said Eponine.

"I'm trying out for the lead," said Sentry snobbishly.

"Good for you, Sentry. Listen you guys, I need to go home. If I'm not home soon, my parents will blow a fuse. You can talk to me tomorrow, 'kay?" said Eponine. She waved goodbye to Marius and his friends and continued on her way. She reached the inn twelve minutes later.

"Hello?" called out Eponine.

"Hello, Eponine," came M'sieur Thenardier's cheery voice. Eponine smiled at her dad and went to her room. Azelma, Eponine's younger sister, walked into her room two minutes later.

"Azelma!" Eponine exclaimed. "I have homework to do! Beat it!"

"Fine!" Azelma stormed out of the room. Eponine rolled her eyes and turned on her computer. There was a message from Marius waiting for her on the screen.

MAR297: Hey Eponine!

EPO743: Hello Marius.

MAR297: The guys and I are going out for ice cream at Tom's Ice Cream Palace. Wanna come?

EPO743: Oh, I wish I could, but I have homework to do. Why don't you hang out with Cosette or someone else?

MAR297: Cosette's at a different school, plus we broke up.

EPO743: You guys broke up?! What happened?  
MAR297: We decided it would be better if we saw other people since we're not going to the same high school. Hey, you're not seeing anyone right now, right?

EPO743: No, and Marius, I just like you as a friend, nothing more. I have to study for my math quiz tomorrow. See you in choir.

MAR297: Oh, well good luck on your quiz tomorrow.

EPO743: Thanks, Marius. Catch you on the flip side.

As soon as Eponine was logged off with Marius, an IM from Liz appeared on the screen.

HRSEGRL3: Hey Eponine! It's Liz.

EPO743: Hey Liz. What's up?

HRSEGRL3: Would you like to come horseback riding with me on Thursday after school?

EPO743: Can I get back to you on that? I think I might be busy on Thursday, I'm not sure yet.

HRSEGRL3: Um, sure. Whose that blond-haired blue eyed cutie that I've seen you talking to?

EPO743: He's my friend, Marius.

HRSEGRL3: Oh, is he single?  
EPO743: I beg your pardon?

HRSEGRL3: Is – he – sin – gle?

EPO743: Yes –er – I mean no.

HRSEGRL3: He's not?

EPO743: No, I'm his girlfriend.

HRSEGRL3: Oh, you are so lucky!

EPO743: His friend, Enjolras, is looking for someone. I have an idea: how about the four of us go on a Double Date sometime? Wouldn't that be fun?  
HRSEGRL3: I don't know, Eponine.

EPO743: Enjolras is such a nice guy, so I'm sure you'll like him.

"Eponine! Dinner's ready!" called Mademoiselle Thenardier from downstairs.

EPO743: I've gotta go now, Liz.

HRSEGRL3: Okey-dokey, then. See you tomorrow!

Eponine turned off her computer and went downstairs to dinner.

It was after dinner and Eponine was back on-line, Instant Messaging Marius.

EPO743: Hey, Marius.

MAR297: Hey 'Ponine. How's the studying going?

EPO743: Fine. Do you still want me to be your girlfriend?

MAR297: Uh, sure.

EPO743: Is Enjolras still looking for a girlfriend?  
MAR297: Actually, he is.

EPO743: Meet me in front of the lunchroom right after third period tomorrow, and bring Enjolras with you.

MAR297: Ok...ay.

EPO743: Great! See you then!

MAR297: Okay.

Eponine shut off her computer and climbed into bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.


	2. Eponine Gets Injured

Chapter 2: Eponine Gets Injured 

It was the next day and Eponine, Enjolras and Marius were waiting for Liz to show up. She came a minute later, smiling at Enjolras. Marius introduced Enjolras to Liz and the four of them looked for a table to sit at. They found one ten minutes later and started eating. Since they only had forty-five minutes to eat, which wasn't an enough time to talk, they just focused on their food. A short while later, the bell rang and Liz, Enjolras, Marius and Eponine headed towards their fourth hours. When Eponine and Marius reached the choir class they shared, Marius opened the door for Eponine, following closely behind. Mrs. Marcus, the teacher, told the class said that they would be working on their pieces from The Phantom of the Opera for their concert on Saturday. The fall play was The Phantom of the Opera, and Enjolras had gotten the part of Raoul but was the understudy for the Phantom, which was a big deal for Marius and the rest of his friends, and Eponine of course.

It was after school and Eponine and Liz were at Liz's horseback riding lesson. Today, Liz was riding a light gray Belgian/Quarter Horse mare named Olympian Dream, Dream for short. Eponine had gotten permission from her parents and Liz's horseback riding instructor to ride a gentle pure black Morgan mare named Katie's Dusty Spin, called Katie around the barn. Today, the girls were doing a posting trot around the outside of the arena. Eponine had to admit that Liz was such a better rider than she was.

"Let's canter," said the instructor. She motioned for Eponine to canter Katie.

"Just gently squeeze with your legs and ask her to canter," said the instructor. Eponine did what Shelbi (the instructor) told her to do.

"Nice canter, Eponine. She works well for you. Are you planning on riding again?" asked Shelbi.

"I'm not sure if I am or not, Shelbi," said Eponine as she cooled Katie down.

"Well I hope you are. You're a good rider. Liz, I want to talk to you about that open show...." Shelbi went over to Liz and talked to her about an open show she wanted Liz to ride in.

Eponine walked Katie to her stall and gave her a pat. Liz's mom was picking the girls up after their lesson. Liz kept checking her watch and looking towards the direction from which her mother would come. Two minutes later, Liz shouted,

"She's here! C'mon Eponine," Liz tugged on Eponine's jacket to get her to follow towards her mother's van.

"Hey girls. How was your lesson?" asked Mrs. Drake.

"Fine. Oh! Eponine, this is my mom, Lisa Drake. Mom, meet Eponine Thenardier. She just moved here," said Liz.

"Eponine, what language is that?" asked Mrs. Drake.

"It's French. I was named after my great-great-great grandmother on my dad's side. Do you like it?" asked Eponine.

"I think it's purty," said a male voice from the backseat. Liz turned around and said,

"Theo, she has a boyfriend already,"

"Where do you live, Eponine?" asked Mrs. Drake.

"Turn right up ahead," said Eponine.

"Do you have a nickname or do people call you Eponine all the time?" asked Liz.

"Well, Marius calls me 'Ponine or Eppy, but you can call me 'Ponine" said Eponine.

"Whose Marius?" asked Theo.

"Her boyfriend, doofus. Eponine, meet my twin brother, Theodore, Theo for short. Theo meet Eponine," said Liz.

"Where's you house, Eponine?" asked Mrs. Drake.

"It's the only inn on this block," said Eponine.

"You guys own an inn? Cool!" exclaimed Theo.

"Here it is. Thank you for the ride, Mrs. Drake. Nice meeting you, Theo," Eponine got out of the car and thanked Mrs. Drake again for the ride home. She went up to the door and opened it.

"Eponine! There you are! The pub's busy today!" yelled her mother.

"I'm coming!" said Eponine.

"Wait on Table Seven tonight. Your mother, Azelma and I already have the other tables covered," said her father. Eponine walked towards the table sitting in the left-hand corner of the pub.

"Eponine, what's wrong? You look tired. What's up?" asked Liz as she, Eponine, Theo, Marius and Enjolras headed to lunch.

"I had to work in the pub late last night. I didn't g-get to sleep until t-three thirty," said Eponine. She, Marius, Enjolras, Theo and Liz sat down and their usual table and Eponine rested her head on Marius' shoulder. Marius put his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

"That's the third time this week that Eponine had to work in her parent's pub," whispered Marius.

"So that's why she's been sleepy and in a bad mood," said Enjolras as Marius nodded sadly. The first-warning bell rang somewhere in the distance a few minutes later.

"'Ponine, wake up. It's time to go to choir," Marius spoke to Eponine softly. He waved goodbye to Enjolras, Liz and Theo.

"Wh-where did everybody go, Marius?" asked Eponine in a sleepy voice.

"'Ponine, sweetie, they went to class already," said Marius. They hurried to choir and just made it when the final bell rang. Marius hurried to his seat in the Tenor section while Eponine made her way to the Alto section. Mrs. Marcus, the choir teacher, took role. After role, she said,

"Today, we will be working on our duets. Let's start with Eponine and Marius. Chop, chop," Eponine and Marius made their way down to the front of the class. They stood next to each other and the beginning of "Somewhere Out There" began to play. Eponine started singing her part of the song. The second verse came and both Marius and Eponine did their duet. When they were done, everyone in the class applauded for them. Marius and Eponine smiled and went back to their seats.

"That was wonderful! Now let's hear from Daryl and Cheryl," said Mrs. Marcus. Eponine rolled her eyes and watched the Jamison twins do their duet. Today, they were doing "Tomorrow" from Annie, which wasn't a duet, anyways. When they were finished, Mrs. Marcus pulled the twins aside and said,

"That wasn't a duet. You two had three weeks to prepare for your duet. What happened?"

"Well," said Daryl, looking at his sister.

"We were out of town and we left our music at our grandparent's house. We'll do it tomorrow," said Cheryl. Mrs. Marcus nodded and guided the twins back to their seats. The bell rang an hour later and Eponine and Marius gathered their book bags and headed out the door, saying goodbye to their friends.

"Ugh! Math next! I hate math!" said Eponine. Marius put his arm around Eponine and said,

"Don't worry. Only twelve weeks left till Halloween."

"Marius, you're always counting down the weeks till Halloween, Spring Break, Summer, Start of School, my birthday, your birthday and Christmas. I'll IM you tonight if the pub isn't too busy, 'kay?" said Eponine. Marius agreed and walked towards his Drawing Two class.

It was after school and Eponine decided to run a couple laps around the track. She put on her headphones, gym shorts and an old T-shirt. She was about to get started running when two boys came running by her. Her jaw dropped when she recognized them as Marius and Joly. They had decided to take a break when they saw Eponine.

"What are you doing here, 'Ponine?" asked Marius.

"Yeah, I didn't know you were on the Tennis team," said Joly.

"I'm not, but may I run with you two, please?" asked Eponine.

"Sure," said Marius.

"If you can keep up," said Joly and with that, he and Marius put on a new burst of speed. Eponine sat down her headphones and ran to catch up with them. She had run cross-country all four years of high school and was just as fast as Marius and Joly. She was almost to Marius when she lost her balance and fell hard on her left ankle. Marius turned around, just in time to see Eponine fall.

"Eponine!" Marius yelled as he ran towards her. "Are you okay?" he asked when he got closer. Eponine shook her head.

"I fell on my ankle and oh God, Marius, it hurts!" Eponine burst into tears as Marius touched her ankle.

"OW!" yelled Eponine. She burst into tears again.

"Oh, God, 'Ponine. Let's get you inside. Joly! Help me!" called Marius to his friend. Joly grabbed Eponine's left arm while Marius grabbed her right. The boys put Eponine's arms over their shoulders and slowly walked Eponine to the nurse's office.

"Hopefully the nurse's office is still open," said Marius. Eponine burst into tears when they reached the front of the nurse's office.

"Shh, 'Ponine. It's okay," Marius soothed her. Joly rolled his eyes at Marius and Eponine. The school nurse, Nurse McKenna, was just leaving her office as Marius, Eponine and Joly entered the school.

"What's going on here?" asked the nurse as she looked from Marius to Eponine to Joly and back to Eponine. Her blue eyes focused on Eponine's ankle.

"What happened to your ankle, Eponine?" asked the nurse gently.

"I-I was out running with Marius and Joly a-and my ankle gave way," Eponine explained.

"Which ankle did you injure?" Nurse McKenna asked.

"My left one," said Eponine.

"You know what, Joly, I'll stay with Eponine if you want to go home," said Marius.

"Okay, see you guys later. I'm really sorry about your ankle, Eponine. I'll grab your CD player and give it to Marius," Joly said as he headed out the door.


	3. Cosette Returns

Chapter 3: Cosette Returns 

It was a week later and Eponine, Theo, Liz and Marius were hanging out before school started.

"Does it hurt?" asked Theo. Eponine shook her head.

"I'm glad that Marius and Joly were there to help me," said Eponine, smiling at Marius.

"Where's Enjolras today?" asked Liz.

"He's not feeling well today, Liz," said Marius. Liz frowned as was about to reply when the first warning bell rang.

"Well, let's go to our first hours and get them over with," said Liz. She helped Eponine carry her books to her first hour.

"Thanks, Liz," said Eponine.

"You're welcome, 'Ponine," said Liz.

It was after first hour and Liz and Eponine were catching up on old stuff, since Eponine had been in the hospital for a week with her ankle when Eponine saw Marius talking to a girl with long black curly hair.

"Marius Pontmercy!" said Eponine in an angry tone.

"Hi, honey bun. You remember Cosette, right?" said Marius, laughing nervously. Eponine stared meanly at Cosette and Cosette smiled sweetly at Eponine.

"What is she doing here, Marius?" asked Eponine through clenched teeth.

"I decided that Holt High School – my old high school – was too boring so I decided to come back here. Oh, Marius told me that you two are going out," Cosette said all of this in an icy tone. The bell rang and Marius put his arm around Eponine.

"Marius, when did Cosette get here?" asked Eponine in a cold voice.

"She got here two minutes before first hour got over. Are you going to be okay?" asked Marius.

"Yes, I'll be okay," said Eponine.

"Good. I'll see you at lunch. Would it be okay if Cosette ate with us?" asked Marius.

"Uh, sure, I don't mind. But you're sitting next to me, okay?" said Eponine.

"Agreed," said Marius. The final bell rang and Eponine and Marius hurried (or rather hobbled, in Eponine's case) to their second hour classes.

"Detention?" said Liz in a shocked voice.

"My second hour teacher said that I have detention for two weeks after school for being late to class," said Eponine. Marius kissed her cheek and said,

"Did your parents ground you?"

Eponine nodded and a tear rolled down her cheek. Marius turned to her and stroked her hair.

It was two weeks later and Eponine was hanging out at Marius' house.

"Can I get you anything, 'Ponine?" asked Marius

"No, I'm okay, Mar," said Eponine. Marius went to the kitchen to get something for himself when the phone rang.

"I got it! Hello? Oh, yeah, hi Madame Thenardier, she's right here, hold on," Marius handed the phone to Eponine and said.

"It's your mom. She sounds upset,"

"Thanks, Marius. Hello? Oh, hi mom. Oh no! That's terrible! I'll be right home. No, it's okay, I'll see if Mrs. Pontmercy can drive me home. Okay, see you later. Love you too," Eponine hung up the phone and turned to Marius. When she saw his kind face, she burst into tears. Marius rushed to her side.

"Eppy, what's wrong?" asked Marius.

"Azelma, my younger sister, was shot by mistake just before I came over here. Marius, she was fifteen years old, which is too young to..." Eponine's voice broke off. Marius sat down next to her and gently rocked her back and forth, saying,

"Shh, 'Ponine, it's okay. Just try not to cry. It's going to be okay. Shh, I'm here. Azelma's in heaven, looking down on you. You know what, she's going to see you graduate from high school, get through college, get married, have kids and then one day you'll join her and I'll be right here if you want to talk, okay?" Marius kissed Eponine's forehead and Eponine smiled at him.

"I love you, Marius," said Eponine.

"Aw, I love you, too, Eponine," said Marius.

"Oh, Eponine! That's so sad!" said Liz. It was three days later and Enjolras, Liz, Theo, Cosette, Marius and Eponine were eating lunch. Eponine had just finished telling her friends about Azelma's death. Liz put a comforting hand on Eponine's shoulder. Eponine felt a small smile spread on her face.

"Hey Eponine! That's the first time I've seen you smile," said Theo.

"Theo, it's a sad smile, not a happy one," said Eponine sadly.

"Yeah...but still," said Theo.

"Theo, it's no big deal," said Liz in an irritated voice.

"But she hasn't smiled in like forever," said Theo as the bell rang. Marius, Cosette, Theo, Eponine, Enjolras and Liz gathered up their book bags and headed to their fourth hour classes.


	4. The Tragedy

Chapter 4: The Tragedy 

Today, for some reason Eponine couldn't concentrate in choir. She kept looking at Marius, sitting so peacefully in the Tenor section. Mrs. Marcus was talking about the difference between sharps and flats in the key signature. Eponine sighed and looked once more at Marius. The bell rang and everyone gathered up his or her book bags. Marius came up next to Eponine and put his hand in hers. Eponine smiled, but that smile turned into a frown when Cosette walked up behind Marius.

"Let's walk to our fifth hours, okay?" said Marius. He linked arms with Eponine and Cosette.

"Oh, Marius did I tell you the good news?" asked Cosette.

"About how you made Honor Roll?" said Marius.

"Yeah, that's it. How did you know?" asked Cosette.

"I saw your name on the list. See: Cosette Valjean," said Marius. Eponine rolled her eyes and entered her Math class. Mrs. Mason was handing back the tests that the students had taken the day before.

"An A- isn't that bad," said Eponine to herself. She went to her assigned seat and sat down.

"Hey Eponine. How's your ankle doing?" someone asked. The voice seemed to be coming from Eponine's right. It was Courfeyrac, one of Marius' friends.

"It's fine. Thanks for asking, Courfeyrac," Eponine smiled at him and he smiled back. An hour later, the bell rang and Eponine headed to her last class of the day: Health with Mrs. Pontmercy.

"Why did my mom have to sign up to be the health teacher?" asked Marius to anyone who would listen.

"Marius, it's okay. It's just for an hour," said Eponine.

"Yeah, the most embarrassing hour of my life," said Marius.

"Oh, cheer up, Marius," said Cosette.

"That was the most embarrassing hour of my life!" exclaimed Marius.

"Oh, Marius. It wasn't that bad," said Cosette, rolling her eyes.

"Oh Marius!" cam a sing-songy voice from behind Marius. He turned around to see a blond-haired woman come running after him. When she caught up to Marius, she planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Ugh! Mom!" said Marius. Spotting Eponine and Cosette, Mrs. Pontmercy said,

"Hello, Eponine. Hello Cosette. Eponine, Marius tells me that you two are going out. Is that true?" she nudged Eponine hard in the ribs.

"Ow!" Eponine whispered, rubbing her sore ribs. Marius turned to his mom.

"Uh, mom, Eponine and I have been going out for four weeks. You know that," said Marius.

"Oh, yeah, duh! I knew that. Do you kids need a ride home?" asked Mrs. Pontmercy.

"No, I think Liz and Theo's mom is driving us over to their house where we will be doing homework till whenever," said Marius.

"Okay, but be home in time for dinner," said Mrs. Pontmercy.

"Actually, Mrs. Pontmercy, Liz's mom is ordering us a pizza," said Eponine.

"Don't have too much fun, okay Marius?" said Mrs. Pontmercy. She pinched Marius' cheek and headed towards her car.

"Marius, that was a little harsh," said Theo, rolling up from behind them.

"I agree with Theo for the only time in my life," said Liz.

"I know. My mom is really cool outside school, but inside school..." Marius shuddered.

"C'mon, let's get going to our place. Our mom should be here soon," said Liz.

"Okay, okay," said Eponine laughing. She, Liz, Cosette, Marius, Theo and Enjolras were sitting on Liz's bedroom floor, laughing at embarrassing stuff. Liz picked up a slice of cheese pizza and said,

"That was so funny!"

"Yeah, that was. I can't believe she fell for that!" said Theo.

"Eponine, could I see you for a second? I need to discuss a piece of music with you," said Marius.

"Uh, sure, Marius," said Eponine. She followed him to an empty hallway.

"Marius, what's up?" asked Eponine.

"Willyougotothehalloweendancewithme?" asked Marius in one breath.

"What?" said Eponine, confused.

"Will – you – go – to – the – Halloween – dance – with – me?" asked Marius again, only slower.

"Sure. I'll go with you," said Eponine.

"Great! I was thinking about going as Cleopatra and Julius Caesar," said Marius.

"Cool. Whose going as who?" asked Eponine.

"Very funny," said Marius sarcastically as they made their way back to Liz's bedroom. The three boys and the three girls divided up into study groups and quizzed each other on homework questions. Time came and went, but the fun didn't last. Soon it was time for Eponine, Marius, Cosette and Enjolras to go home.

"Home's not going to be the same without Azelma," said Eponine sadly.

"I know, 'Ponine. It's been two months since she passed, isn't it?" asked Marius. Eponine nodded sadly and waited for her ride with Marius. When she got home, she saw that her inn was burned to the ground. Eponine and Marius rushed out of the car and up to where the inn used to stand. A firefighter stopped Eponine in her tracks.

"Where are you going, young lady?" he asked in a serious voice.

"I'm Eponine Thenardier, and this is –or rather was – my parent's inn," said Eponine. The firefighter shook his head sadly.

"What's wrong?" asked Eponine.

"Your parents were killed in that fire. I'm sorry Eponine," said the firefighter in a sad voice. Eponine gasped and put her hand to her mouth.

"Do you have anybody else to live with?" asked the firefighter.

"Yeah, I guess I could live with Marius Pontmercy, my boyfriend," said Eponine.

"You are always welcome at my house, 'Ponine," said Marius.

"Thank you Marius," said Eponine.

"Well, you can sleep in the guest room if you want," said Marius. It was later that night and Eponine was adjusting to living with Marius and his mother. Eponine smiled sadly and said,

"You always make me feel so welcome,"

"I hope you can find everything alright," said Marius. He showed her where the guest room was and he helped her get settled in.

"Hey Marius," said Eponine.

"Mmh?" said Marius.

"Do you have a computer and may I use it?" asked Eponine.

"Yes and sure," said Marius. The computer took a minute to turn on.

"I'll leave you alone for a while," said Marius. Eponine decided to IM Liz, Theo, Cosette and Enjolras about her parent's inn burning down. A short while later, she got an IM from a boy in her French 1 class named Tony.

FOOTBALLMANNUMBER33: Hey Eponine, it's Tony. I was very sad ï to hear that your parents died in that horrible fire, but I'm happy ï to hear that you're going to be staying with Marius. He's a good friend of mine, plus he's your boyfriend, so that makes you an extra special girl.

Eponine felt tears coming to the corners of her eyes as she typed a reply to him.

EPO743: Hey Tony. Thanks so much for the message. You seem like a nice guy, but I've seen you in the hallway and in French 1. I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with me sometime. Just you and me, no one else.

FOOTBALLMANNUMBER33: Are you free for lunch on Tuesday?

EPO743: I think Tuesday could work, but I better check with Marius first. How's your girlfriend doing? I heard that she hurt her calf muscle somehow.

FOOTBALLMANNUMBER33: Oh Maria's fine. Her calf muscle is healed completely.

EPO743: That's good to hear. Tell her I said hi, okay?

FOOTBALLMANNUMBER33: Okay, I will. Oh, I heard earlier this month that you injured your left ankle. Is that healed?

EPO743: Yeah, it's healed completely. I got the cast off a couple weeks ago.

FOOTBALLMANNUMBER33: ï I'm glad to hear that.

EPO743: We've been Instant Messaging each other for an hour and we have school in the morning, so we better log off and go to sleep. Good night, Tony.

FOOTBALLMANNUMBER33: Good night, Eponine.

With Marius' help, they turned off the computer and Eponine went to the guest room and got ready for bed.

"My mom's waking us up at six-thirty. Is that okay?" asked Marius. Eponine nodded and said,

"Marius, is it okay if I have lunch with my friend Tony on Tuesday?"

"Sure. I know Tony. He's a nice guy, so I know you'll like him," said Marius.

They bid goodnight to each other and went to sleep.

"Oh my God! Eponine that's too bad that your parents died in that fire!" said Grantaire.

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Joly. It was the next day and Eponine was hanging out with Marius' friends before school started. She had promised her friends that she would see them at lunch or class, whichever came first. Marius put his arm around Eponine's shoulders and told her what a special girl she was.

It was after school and Eponine, Marius, Liz, Theo, Cosette and Enjolras were at Marius' house today, doing homework and having the chocolate chip cookies that Mrs. Pontmercy made earlier for them.

"Thanks, Mrs. Pontmercy," said Cosette.

"You make the best triple C cookies in the world," said Liz.

"You're the best, Mrs. P," chimed in Enjolras and Theo.

"I'm glad that you kids like the cookies," said Mrs. Pontmercy. She shut Marius' bedroom door and Cosette, Eponine, Liz, Marius, Enjolras and Theo divided up into their study groups. Marius put in his new CD that Eponine had burned for him in his CD player. Liz nodded her head to the rhythm of the first song.

"I love this song!" exclaimed Cosette.

"So do I," said Liz and Eponine at the same time.

"Moi asi," said Enjolras.

"I didn't know you spoke French, Enjay," said Marius.

"I'm in Eponine's French 1 class, Marius," said Enjolras seriously.

"Enjolras, do you know who Tony is that's in our class?" asked Eponine.

"Yeah, he's a friend of mine who's on the football team with Prouvaire. Why?" asked Enjolras.

"I got an IM from him and it said that he's in our French 1 class. I'm having lunch with him on Tuesday," said Eponine.

"He sits towards the back of class. He has black hair and hazel eyes that are hidden behind glasses. Oh yeah, he's really quiet, quieter than a mouse in a library " said Liz. Eponine had forgotten that Liz was in her French 1 class as well.

"Thanks, Liz. What should I say to him?" asked Eponine.

"Well, he's on the football team, right?" asked Liz.

"Yeah, but I don't know anything about football," said Eponine.

"Just be yourself," said Liz.

"What should I talk to him about?" asked Eponine.

"He has a German Shepard named Shannon. You could ask how she's doing," said Marius.

"I don't think so," said Cosette.

"You'll do fine on Tuesday, Eponine," said Enjolras. Eponine smiled at her friend and went back to her homework. She was nervous about Tuesday, but was also excited at the same time.


	5. The Lunch Date

Chapter 5: The Lunch Date 

"Hello, Eponine. You're very pretty," Tony sat across from Eponine. It was the next day at lunch and Eponine was having fun talking to Tony. Enjolras was right: he was a nice guy.

"H-how are y-y-you?" Eponine struggled to get the words out of her mouth.

"I'm fine. What about you?" asked Tony.

"N-not too bad," said Eponine.

"Are you going to the Halloween Dance?" asked Tony.

"Yeah. I'm going with Marius. We're going as Cleopatra and Julius Caesar," said Eponine.

"I'm going with Maria. We're going as the King and Queen of Hearts," said Tony.

"That sounds so cool," said Eponine.

"Yeah, but I like your costume idea much better," said Tony. Eponine could feel herself blushing.

"So, uh, how do you know Marius and Enjolras?" asked Eponine, changing the subject.

"Football," said Tony.

"Marius does tennis and Enjolras does the fall plays," said Eponine.

"I play Football with Sentry who introduced me to Enjolras and Marius at the Homecoming Game. They seem like really nice guys," said Tony.

"They are," said Eponine. The first warning bell rang and Tony and Eponine threw their stuff away and went to their classes: Eponine had Choir while Tony had Science. They said farewell to one another and went in the opposite directions.

"So, how was it, tell all! Details girl!" said Liz. It was after school and Liz, Theo, Eponine and Marius were hanging out at Marius and Eponine's house. Theo and Marius were playing a video game while Eponine and Liz watched them. For the first time in a month, they didn't have any homework. Cosette had gotten offered a baby-sitting job and it was her first day and Enjolras was sick again, just in case you were wondering about them.

"Get 'em Marius!" said Eponine.

"How was your lunch date with Tony 'the football star' McGee? C'mon, 'Ponine! Tell me!!" said Liz in a whiny voice.

"Okay, okay. He wasn't very talkative. We just talked about the Halloween Dance, how he knew Marius and Enjolras and that was about it. Liz, I was so nervous!" said Eponine.

"What's he going as to the Halloween Dance?" asked Liz excitedly.

"He said something about being the King and Queen of Hearts," said Eponine.

"Yesssssss!" exclaimed Marius.

"What happened?" asked Eponine.

"Who won?" asked Liz.

"I won!" exclaimed Marius.

"Congratulations, Mar," said Theo.

"Thanks, Theo. You did well, too," said Marius kindly.

"Good night, Eponine," said Marius. It was later that night and Marius and Eponine were getting ready to go to bed.

"Good night, Marius," said Eponine sleepily. She went into the guest room and collapsed under the covers. She laid awake, listening to the house settling, Marius' mom's snoring and giggling, and Marius' gentle breathing from the room next to hers. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

"...So then I was like, 'Oh Josh! You are too cute..." Eponine rolled her eyes and continued listening to her new friend, Gabrielle tell about how she met her boyfriend, Josh Carter. The bell rang and Eponine walked to her first hour, French 1. When role was taken, Mademoiselle Le Chance looked from student to student, an excited look on her face. After about four minutes of silence, she said,

"Turn to the person sitting next to you and interview them in French. You have until twenty minutes before class is over. Ask about their family, friends, music, animals, their boyfriend/girlfriend, anything you want. Begin!" the room filled with chatter of students. Twenty minutes before class was over came and Eponine and Liz went first with their interview.

"This is Eponine Marie Thenardier. She's living with her boyfriend, Marius Pontmercy because her parents were killed when their inn was burned down. Her favorite kind of music is anything from musicals. Her favorite song is 'Somewhere Out There'. Her favorite animals are cats, dogs and horses. Her favorite thing to do in her spare time is sing. Oh yeah, her favorite color is blue."

"This is Elizabeth Carolyn Drake. She lives with her mom and twin brother, Theodore, Theo for short. Her favorite style of music is classical. Her favorite song is 'One Moment in Time'. Her favorite animals are birds and horses. Her favorite things to do in her spare time are email her friends or hang out with her boyfriend, Enjolras. Her favorite color is baby blue,"

The bell rang shortly after Eponine had finished telling her interview of Liz. Everyone gathered their book bags and headed out the door.

"Eponine, could I see you for a minute, please?" asked Mademoiselle Le Chance.

"Sure, what's up?" asked Eponine in a cheerful voice.

"Have you ever thought about moving to the French 2 class?" asked Mademoiselle Le Chance. Eponine felt her jaw drop to the floor.

"It's first hour in M'sieur Gavroche's class. He's a very kind teacher, so I know you'll like him," said the French teacher. The second warning bell rang somewhere in the distance.

"Can I let you know tomorrow? I have science to go to," said Eponine. The teacher nodded and Eponine hurried towards the science wing.

"Don't do it, 'Ponine!" said Liz.

"Class would be so boring without you," said Enjolras.

"I'm not going to," said Eponine. It was after school and Eponine, Liz, Theo, Marius, Enjolras and Cosette were at Cosette's house, sitting in her living room. Liz, Marius, Eponine and Enjolras were playing pool while Cosette and Theo worked on homework.

"Just try it for one day then if you don't like it, come back to French 1," said Liz, her voice hopeful.

"No, once you're in a class, you stay in that class. You know that, Liz," said Enjolras harshly.

"I'm staying in French 1 and that's that!" exclaimed Eponine. She stormed out of the room and to Cosette's bedroom thinking about nothing but the transfer from French 1 to French 2.


	6. The Argument

Chapter 6: The Argument 

Eponine sat up and looked at her alarm clock 2:30 AM it read. She had a horrible nightmare that she and Marius had broken up for no reason at all. Eponine shook her head and went back to sleep.

"Are you going to switch to French 2?" asked Mademoiselle Le Chance.

"No, I'm not. My friends are in this class are in this class and I'm staying as long as they are," said Eponine. It was first hour the next day and Eponine and Mademoiselle Le Chance were talking about Eponine's transfer to French 2. The bell rang for class to begin.

"Liz," said Eponine in a sad voice as her best friend entered the room.

"'Ponine, what's wrong?" asked Liz as she sat down.

"I'm thinking about switching to French 2 tomorrow, so Marius and I want you to come over after school today, just to hang out. Can you make it?" asked Eponine. Liz turned away from Eponine.

"All right class, open your books to Chapter 3 and read silently to yourselves while I grade your tests that you took two weeks ago, okay?" said Mademoiselle Le Chance. The class got out their books and read silently. The bell rang for class to end twenty-five minutes later.

"Liz, can I talk to you?" asked Eponine. Liz ignored her and continued walking.

"Liz, I really need to talk to you," said Eponine again. Liz turned around and said,

"You're not my friend anymore,"

"Wha-why?" asked Eponine.

"Because you're transferring to French 2, that means we'll never see each other again," said Liz angrily.

"Liz, it's during first hour, same as French 1. Plus, we'll see each other at lunch. I don't understand why you're so mad at me," said Eponine.

"I'm mad at you because you went out with my ex-boyfriend without telling me," said Liz. She was even angrier this time.

"Whoa, wait a minute. You're mad at me because I went out with Tony?" said Eponine. She was angry and confused.

"No, not Tony," said Liz. The first-warning bell rang.

"I gotta go to science. Can we please discuss this at..." Eponine's voice trailed off. Liz had disappeared from view. Eponine sighed and entered her science class, wondering why in the world Liz was mad at her about.

"Marius, I don't understand why Liz is so mad at me," said Eponine. It was after school and Theo, Marius, Cosette and Eponine were hanging out in the school library, looking up animals for their science reports. Enjolras and Liz had decided that they (or at least Liz) weren't going to hang out with Eponine anymore. Enjolras tried to hang out with them once in a while.

"Shh. I'm trying to concentrate," said Cosette. Eponine ignored her and turned back to Marius.

"Marius, did you even hear a word I said?" asked Eponine.

"You don't understand why Liz is so mad at you," said Marius, his eyes in a large book.

"Shh!" whispered Cosette.

"Eponine, can we drop this? I'll talk to Liz tonight and find out what's wrong," said Theo. Even though his sister hated Eponine, Theo kept hanging out with Marius and Eponine, which made Eponine happy.

"Graduation is just around the corner and we have a lot of stuff to do," said Marius.

"Graduation isn't until May, genius," said Cosette sarcastically. Marius stuck his tongue out at Cosette, which was a rather childish thing to do. Eponine and Theo giggled at them from behind their palms of their hands.

"Let's check these books out at head on over to my place," said Cosette. The four of them checked out their books and went over to Cosette's house, where they could be as loud as they wanted.

The four friends made their way to Cosette's house, talking and laughing.

"Which animal are you doing for the science project, guys?" asked Cosette.

"I'm doing a horse," said Eponine.

"I'm doing an otter," said Marius.

"I'm doing a gorilla," said Theo.

"Is it because you like the movie, Tarzan?" asked Eponine playfully.

"No, it's just I find gorillas fascinating," said Theo.

"Well, I'm doing a clownfish for my report," said Cosette.

"Hey guys," said a voice from behind them. Eponine turned around to see Enjolras standing about four feet back, smiling.

"Why aren't you with Liz today?" asked Cosette.

"Well, we just decided that just for today we wouldn't hang out with each other. Whatcha talkin 'bout?" said Enjolras. Marius walked over to his friend and said,

"Enjay, we were just talkin 'bout our animals for our report that we need to do for science. What are you doin?"

"I'm doing a dolphin," said Enjolras.

"Coolio," said Eponine.

"Dolphins are like the most coolest animals on the planet!" exclaimed Cosette.

"Ditto," chimed in Theo.

"Hey, Enjay. Do you want to come over to my house? We're going to be working on homework until five and then I have to baby sit the Smith twins. I can't get together tomorrow after school because I'm watching the Jones girls. Luckily, Therese is eleven and Polly is twelve, so it should be a slice of pie," said Cosette.

"Sure. That sounds awesome," said Enjolras. Eponine smiled and was happy that at least one of her best friends didn't hate her forever.


	7. Maria Hates Eponine

Chapter 7: Maria Hates Eponine 

By the next day, Liz still wasn't talking to Eponine. To make matters worse, she had told Maria about Eponine's date with her boyfriend at lunch last Tuesday and now Maria wasn't talking to her. Eponine was happy that she still had five good friends: Enjolras, Cosette, Theo, Tony and Marius.

"Eponine, I'm sure Liz'll forgive you," said Theo. Eponine smiled sadly at Theo and continued eating her mushy Macaroni and Cheese. It was a week later and Eponine, Theo, Enjolras, Cosette, Marius and Tony were eating lunch together.

"I hope Liz doesn't stay mad at you forever, 'Ponine," said Tony.

"I hope so, too, Tony," said Eponine sadly.

"I'm sure you two will make up," said Marius. Eponine smiled at her boyfriend and sighed. They continued talking, but were interrupted by the first warning bell.

"Ugh! I have math!" said Cosette.

"I have PE," said Tony.

"I have U.S. History," complained Theo.

"We have Choir," chimed in Marius and Eponine.

"I have English Literature with Liz. I'll try to talk to her today," said Enjolras.

"See you in health," said Eponine. She and Marius went to the choir room together, holding hands and talking.

"I thought this day would never end! It's the weekend!" said Tony excitedly. Marius, Eponine, Enjolras, and Cosette smiled at him.

"Where's Theo?" asked Enjolras.

"He left health early. Said something about a doctor's appointment," said Eponine.

"Oh. I was hoping that he and I could get together and do homework," said Enjolras.

"Enjay, your mom doesn't let anyone over at your house, remember?" Marius reminded him.

"Oh, yeah, forgot about that," said Enjolras in a sad voice.

"I hope Theo talked to Liz," said Eponine.

"I talked to Liz and she said she's mad at you for transferring to French 2. I will try to get you two back together," said Enjolras.

"Thanks, Enjolras," said Eponine.


	8. Liz Talks to Eponine

Chapter 8: Liz Talks to Eponine 

"Eponine, this is excellent! Just what I was looking for!" said M'sieur Gavroche. It was the next morning in Eponine's French 2 class. Eponine and M'sieur Gavroche were discussing Eponine's last quiz that she had taken.

"Merci, M'sieur Gavroche," said Eponine. She took her seat next to Joly on her left and Marius on her right. She turned to Marius and said,

"Are we still going ice skating this weekend?"

"Yup, I'll see if my mom can drive us," said Marius.

"Cool. I can't wait until Saturday," said Eponine.

"What's Saturday?" asked Marius.

"Our two month anniversary," said Eponine.

"Right, I forgot about that," said Marius.

"How did you guys do on Gavroche's quiz that we took yesterday?" asked Joly.

"I got an A on it," said Eponine.

"I also got an A on mine," said Marius.

"Neato, Dorito," said Joly.

"All right, class. Take out your textbooks and turn to Chapter 12 and read silently to yourselves. Anyone who talks, the entire class will have a pop quiz on Chapter 12," said M'sieur Gavroche. The entire rest of the hour, no one talked. The bell for class to end rang twenty-seven minutes later. Eponine and Marius were talking about their plans for the weekend when Liz walked by Eponine. Eponine opened her mouth to speak, but Liz went by her in a hurry, not looking back.

It was after school and Marius, Eponine, Theo, Cosette and Tony were hanging out at Tony's house. Eponine, Marius, Tony and Cosette were playing ping-pong while Theo watched TV in Tony's game room.

"This is so much fun!" exclaimed Cosette.

"Hey, Theo. Are you sure you don't want to play?" asked Marius.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks though," said Theo.

"You know what, Marius, we should be heading back to your place," said Eponine.

"Why?" asked Marius.

"Because we have that thing to do" said Eponine through clenched teeth.

"Oh, right. I'll go call my mom. Be back soon," said Marius. He put his paddle on Theo's lap and went to use the phone.

"I'm not real good at ping-pong," said Theo.

"It's really easy. I'll teach you," said Cosette. Tony and Eponine sat on the couch in the corner while Cosette taught Theo how to play ping-pong. Marius returned a few minutes later, smiling at Eponine.

"Ready? My mom should be here in..." said Marius.

"In what?" asked Eponine.

"She's here, 'Ponine. Let's go," said Marius. He took Eponine's hand and they said goodbye to their friends.

"Where's Enjolras today?" asked Eponine.

"He's staying after school for something," said Marius. He opened a passenger door for Eponine before getting in front with his mom.

"Hey kids! How was your day?" asked Mrs. Pontmercy.

"It was okay," said Marius.

"Rather dull," said Eponine in a bored voice. The rest of the car ride was pretty silent. When they reached home, Eponine told Marius and his mom that she wanted to take a shower and then go to bed. She also told them that she had a slight headache and was feeling dizzy. Eponine got into the shower and sang songs from the fall play, Tarzan.

"Come stop your crying, it'll be all right

Just take my hand, hold it tight

I will protect you from all around you

I will be here don't you cry..."

As soon as Eponine got out of the shower, the phone rang.

"I got it!" yelled Marius. "Hello? Oh hi Liz. Yup, she's right here, one sec," he handed the phone to Eponine.

"Hello?" said Eponine.

"Eponine? It's Liz," came Liz's voice from the other line.

"Liz!" exclaimed Eponine.

"Yeah, hi. I don't have a whole lot of time to talk, my mom's expecting a phone call. I'm really sorry I got mad at you for transferring to French 2. I'm also really, really, really, really sorry for saying you weren't my friend anymore. Can you forgive me?" said Liz.

"Of course I can forgive you," said Eponine.

"Do you want to have lunch together on Monday?" asked Liz.

"Sure. You, me and the gang as usual?" said Eponine.

"Yup. I guess I need to apologize to Maria about telling her about your lunch date with Tony," said Liz.

"No, I'll do it. What's her Screen Name?" asked Eponine.

"HeadCheerleader33," said Liz.

"Thanks. I guess I'll see you on Monday, 'kay?" said Eponine.

"Definitely," said Liz. Eponine hung up the phone and turned to Marius, smiling.


	9. The Finale

Chapter 9: The Finale 

It was three years after graduation from East Lansing High School and here's what happens to everyone:

Cosette: goes to MSU and majors in Animal Science. Eventually marries Theo and has two daughters: Chelsea and Myra.

Elizabeth: goes to LCC (Lansing Community College) and majors in Theatre. Four years later, she marries Enjolras and they have three children: two boys – Dexter and Erich and a girl – Darcy.

Enjolras: goes to LCC, also and four years later, marries Liz.

Eponine: goes to MSU and majors in Vetenary Medicine. Eventually marries Marius and they have four children: two girls – Amber and Ashley and two boys – Ralph and Matt.

Maria: becomes one of the Michigan State Cheerleaders for the basketball and football teams. Marries Tony and together they have a beautiful baby girl – Sasha.

Marius: goes to MSU and majors in Performing Arts. He married Eponine and together they have four children: Amber, Ashley, Ralph and Matt. Did I mention that Marius got a call from a Broadway producer? The producer wants Marius to audition for a role in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Theo: goes to MSU and majors in Child Psycogically. Marries Cosette and they have two daughters: Chelsea and Myra.

Tony: he went to MSU and plays football for the Spartans. He is married to Maria and they have one beautiful baby girl – Sasha.

The eight friends have kept in touch with letters, email, phone calls, pictures of their kids and visits to each others houses. Cosette, Eponine, Liz and Maria offered to do a group baby-sit, in their spare time. Watching ten kids was not an easy thing to do for one person, but with four women it was a piece of cake.

Eponine went to her mailbox early one morning and found a letter from Tony and Maria. Here's what it said:

_Dear Eponine, Marius, Amber, Ashley, Ralph and Matt,_

_How are all of you doing? We are doing well. All of us are happy and healthy here at home._

_I have some very good news for all of you: we are expecting another baby, but it won't be due until Sasha starts preschool, which is three months away. She's so excited to have another brother or sister to play with. If it's a girl, we decided to name her Roxanne Samantha McGee and if it's a boy we decided to name him Marcus Lee McGee. What do you guys think?_

_Feel free to write or email us!_

_Our email address is: __. _

_Love always,_

_Maria E. McGee_

_&_

_Tony L. McGee_

Eponine read the letter four more times and held it close to her heart, thinking of her caring friends. She put it on the fridge next to Matt's finger painting of a butterfly, thinking how lucky she was to have friends like Tony, Maria, Enjolras, Liz, Cosette and Theo.


End file.
